


move the stars (make them align)

by pistolgrip



Series: heavenbound, together [8]
Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Cooking, Ensemble Cast, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, they're FRIENDS!!!!! let the juttens be FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:40:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28946811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pistolgrip/pseuds/pistolgrip
Summary: It's not out of the ordinary for Siete to arrange a dinner for the Eternals between their busy lives. Whatisunusual is how they decide to respond this time.
Series: heavenbound, together [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1074144
Kudos: 24





	move the stars (make them align)

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is a relatively old piece from 2019 that i dug up, one made in collaboration with ame—[their piece is here](https://twitter.com/reaiame/status/1353147085130883073)! please pop over to take a look at their lovely art as always. i haven't edited or reviewed this piece since i finished it, so consider this a little time capsule of where my writing was about two years ago, i suppose.  
> thank you!

**morning**

As their weekly meeting closes up, Siete mentions that he'd like to have a hotpot with the ten of themat the end of that week. He says it as if he doesn't expect them to accept the invitation—so naturally, to defy him, they agree among themselves to show up without telling him.

Despite conceding to the plan, Six has to prepare himself for a full base of nine other people, most of which are _loud_. At sunrise of their rendezvous, he attempts his normal routine of watering flowers, hoping to return to sleep afterwards without being disturbed. His peace only lasts half an hour before the back door opens to Funf, Song, and Nio, already discussing the dinner.

He feels a headache coming. "There is no reason to gather ingredients now when dinners are traditionally at night."

"The sun gets really high in the afternoon, duh! And then it gets too hot," Funf shouts, her default setting. His ears ring. The other two with her are unlikely to reject her suggestions, greeting Six briefly before looking through their vegetable garden.

Their backyard space is a strange little thing, never mind that their entire base already sits on the back of an enormous tortoise. Funf's regeneration and healing magic has developed enough to extend it to other living things like their garden, where crops hardly ever die and flowers are in bloom all year long.

Off to the side lay eccentric reminders of their lives as Eternals: Funf's collection of herbs grown for remedies, a variety of poisonous plants for Quatre's experimental use, cordoned off with the sign stating _TH_ _ESE_ _WILL KILL YOU BEFORE I DO_ _._ Scattered among the outside space is the topiary that everyone knows to be Six's.

Resigning himself into preparing this early, he frowns. "Show me the ingredients for the hotpot."

Nio floats over to him, list in hand, leaving the other two to navigate their garden. "Funf insisted on gathering a few things herself, but we'll still need to go to the market."

They simultaneously turn to Funf, who's planting her feet on either side of an enormous carrot and pulling with enough force to send herself flying back. Before Song can fly over to catch her, she rights herself, hovering in the air. "Don't worry about me, Song! Grampy and I did this _all_ the time in our garden!"

Her reassurance turns the concern on Song's face into a relieved smile. "You had a garden, too? It was one of the things I missed the most when I moved to the big city... I told Siete about it enough times that before I knew it, he drafted a plot and started asking me about what to grow."

"Huh? I told him the same thing! I thought I was special," Funf whines, pointing her carrot accusingly at Nio and Six. "Did you guys ask for a garden, too?"

Nio sighs, but it's not without fondness. "Asking Siete for anything is an exercise in paEsserce. But I do like this space. It's quieter out here than it is inside, with everyone's melodies."

Six can attest that while the base is a hectic place to be, there are pockets of peace to be found. He's grateful that the Eternals contribute to at least one oasis by helping him tend to the flowers.

"You practice out here, too? Nio, you're so diligent, but you haven't spent time with us in a while," Song says, her voice rising with anticipation. "We should have a girls' day out after breakfast... Except Sarasa and Esser are hunting today, but Six can always come along, can't he?"

She and Funf turn their pleading eyes towards Six, who pointedly looks away. "Your cheap begging tricks are ineffective," he grumbles. He was hoping that this rare involvement with social activities would be enough to placate them. "Don't hurry to include me. Please, don't."

The corner of Nio's mouth twitches into a smile. "If I'm subject to this, you should be as well. It's only fair."

"Oh! I know a place in town with a bunch of super awesome sweet stuff," Funf says. She's bursting with so much excitement that Six thinks he isn't entirely invincible to rejecting her plans, either. "I bet even _you'd_ like it, Six!"

With his attempts to object failing, the three of them continue making plans that include him. The most he can hope for is that he can take a nap before dinner that night.

**afternoon**

Sarasa is already at the meeting place for the day's hunt when Uno and Esser arrive. "Took ya long enough! I coulda caught _ten_ of these guys by now!" she complains, pointing to a pile of small boars behind her.

Her voice is so loud that Uno thinks he sees one of them twitch back to life. He tries to hide his amusement when he says, "You're enthusiastic today, Sarasa."

The mention of food is normally enough for Sarasa to show up to one of Siete's often-planned (and rarely-attended) meals, but her energy for tonight's dinner in particular is higher than usual. "Yeah! I gotta show him how much stronger I've gotten. Why don't any of _you_ guys have hunting competitions with me like Siete does?" she exclaims, huffing.

The smile on Esser's face is tinged with exasperation. "After you nearly burnt down Stardust Town trying to challenge us to a match, we're a bit apprehensive."

"It was one time, and I won't do it again! And the kids really liked the taste of dragon meat, I think."

"You did give us a feast for the day, in the end..." Esser says, thinking back to the impromptu bonfire Sarasa had started for her catch. "It's a mercy that only one person will be getting a surprise tonight, and not for the same reasons as you did Stardust Town."

"Yeah, Siete _better_ be surprised! Now let's get _going,_ _"_ Sarasa says, dragging the syllables. "The monsters won't catch themselves!"

It can be hard to meet Sarasa's level of energy on the best of days, and when a mission lines up with her own personal goals, it's nearly impossible to keep up with her. Soon, she escapes their line of sight—but they know she's not far off when they hear her cries of joy mingled with monsters roaring.

Uno would have liked to spend time with both of them, but there will be time for attempted conversation with Sarasa later tonight. For now, he takes the opportunity to catch up with Esser, as he's often with Quatre instead. "How is Stardust Town?" he asks as they set their traps, hoping to catch smaller things that Sarasa ignores.

"Hm... we're doing the best we can," she contemplates, holding a trap in her hands. "The other day, we had a feast for our own Stardust Town family to celebrate another year of fending away the mafia."

"Perhaps one day they'll finally let up." Uno chuckles. "You lot are a force to be reckoned with."

"Our saving grace is that they're less intent on attacking us as of late." It's good news, and Uno is about to tell her as such, but Esser's ears droop slightly after a moment of silence. "I apologize. It was insensitive of me to talk about my own family's relative success so freely."

He pats her on the shoulder, and she lets out a small apologetic noise. He sees his younger self reflected in her, their desire to protect family leading to similar regrets and endeavours for power. "Nonsense, Esser. The Eternals' happiness is my own. Treasure those in your life." He smiles, kindly, and then it takes on an edge of mischief. "Even if they're difficult to understand at times."

As if on cue, the ground shakes beneath their feet, birds are disturbed from where they perch, and a roar of a large beast being felled resounds into the sky. When Sarasa returns moments later, she's dragging a wyvern three times her size. "This one's _gotta_ be good enough," she shouts, grinning. "Rematch, here I come!"

**evening**

"Sharpen your fucking knives, old man," Quatre gripes. Taking their time doing prep work allows the rest of the Eternals sneak in without Siete noticing, but it's _really_ taking all of his control not to lob the knife at the kitchen wall. "This garbage can't cut through anything."

It's already been a long day, and hearing _That's because you're not using them properly_ in Siete's perpetually cheery voice gets on his already frayed nerves. But he takes a deep breath and tries again to focus on the angle of the knife Siete's showing him, the soft joints where it's easier to cut.

Goddamnit, he's right. He hates when Siete's right. "Yeah? Then why aren't you cutting them like fucking Laozi over there?"

Both of them turn their heads to Okto, who is in a state of near-meditation as he handles the largest of the hunts and holding a cleaver with the same finesse and skill he would his katana. Quatre's convinced he's only seen him sharpen that thing once in the history of all mankind, and yet he cuts through with ease, hardly spilling a drop of blood.

"Okto's strength is from practice," Siete corrects him. "Not mindless stabbing."

"Years upon years of it," the man in question booms loudly—not that he ever means to, but like father like daughter, blood non-relation be damned. "You are but at the cusp of awakening your power, young one. As I tell Funf all the time!"

"Don't compare me to a twerp like her," Quatre grumbles.

"You have much to learn from her, as she does from you, or any one of us. Do not underestimate her." Finished with his work, Okto puts the meat onto the counter and starts slicing it into smaller, more palatable pieces.

Siete glances over at his work. "Looks like you've got experience with cutting up more delicate things."

Unperturbed, Okto says, "Asceticism does not equate to becoming a brute. Additionally, for a number of years, I have had a young one for which to provide."

"Ah, to be a provider." Siete sighs happily, lost in the memories. "Working in kitchens was worth the hassle... most days."

He receives a hum of approval. "Simple pleasures in moderation should not abandoned, and a good meal is one of them. Although I may have been led astray on that particular line of thinking by Funf."

"Nothing wrong with eating to enjoy from time to time. Eating only for survival takes a real toll on you."

_Old men talking about old things,_ Quatre thinks, but unlike most adults that he's had the displeasure of knowing, what they say has truth to it. He tries to pass forward to the kids of Stardust Town what Siete taught him and his sister long ago: that preparing meals and eating together shouldn't be a chore to remind one of the inevitability of death, but a celebration that one is alive and sharing that time with others. It's a way to keep moving towards the future, even when things look bleak—and in Stardust Town, things often look bleak.

Before Quatre knows it, he's tuned out the conversation and focused completely on his work, surprising himself when his pile of meat has finally thinned. Siete whistles lowly and leans over to inspect. "You got through that pretty quick," he says with pride, and for a moment he's the compassionate Siete, the one that he and his sister trusted, the one that delivered.

The one that's always been there. Siete has a way of being annoying about it, but the Eternals know for a fact that he's watching out for them in everything that he does. Getting together for a hotpot was the _least_ they could do for him—

And then Siete opens his big mouth and ruins it as usual by saying, with his stupid smile and a teasing tone, "Guess you should listen to _big brother Siete_ more often."

Quatre stabs the cut he's working on while glaring right into his eyes.

**through the night**

"Go clean up the kitchen," Quatre barks, leaving no room for Siete to respond while snatching the plates of food out of his hands.

It's nice to see that some things never change. This is a practice they're used to, albeit in reverse; normally, Siete would cook for them, and in return they would wash the dishes. He reminisces as the white noise of conversation floats through the open kitchen window, and Siete's thoughts turn to how one day he'd like to see all of the Eternals in the same place again outside of duty.

He cleans up quickly, his growling stomach protesting the idea of taking any longer, and when he takes one step outside he stops in his tracks. Eyes scanning the table, he counts nine not including himself, and then nine when he tries again.

Siete only expected _four_ _._

Uno prepares the table with Funf, the latter trying to feed Okto slices of vegetables. At one end of the table, Sarasa, Quatre, and Six pour chili flakes into one of their two boiling pots. Nio watches them warily as she grabs her bowl and sits next to Esser and Song on the opposite end of the table, in front of the other, untouched pot.

There's so much commotion that his entrance goes ignored—but this time, feeling happiness bubble up from his chest, he finds he doesn't mind.

"Took you long enough," Six says without looking up from adding mala sauce to the designated spicy pot. The comment makes everyone turn their attention to Siete, who quickly laughs in an attempt to hide his genuine awe.

"You guys _all_ came? For me? Shucks, you shouldn't have!"

"Damn, then, I'll leave," Quatre grumbles. His empty threat is exposed when he sits down at Esser's light insistence, hiding a smile behind her hand.

The commotion quiets as everyone waits for Siete to join them. He tries to joke around as usual, but he can't keep the shock out of his voice, overwhelmed by everyone's presence. "Huh. You really got together. Did I miss someone's birthday? What's the occasion?"

"What?" Sarasa says, eyes glued to the cuts of meat on the table. "The occasion is _eating._ Can we start?"

Song winks. "We thought we'd give you a taste of your own medicine by playing our own trick on you."

There's never a dull moment with the Eternals, and his smile is wide as he sits at the head of the table. It's right in front of the spicy pot, and he knows how intense they make the taste, but there's nowhere else he'd rather be than here eating dinner with the rest of his crew. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"You, silly!" Funf says, looking up from the meat that Okto is putting into the pot for her, and there's no better invitation than that to start eating.


End file.
